Red String of Fate
by OtakuGeisha
Summary: Fuu, Jin, and Mugen meet a few new friends. One is running from something, but what is it? As her past unfolds in front of them, they are caught up in her web of despair and secrets. They have to overcome hardships, help this new friend save their future, AND find the Sunflower Samurai. But mixed into all this, one samurai has to juggle a love and fulfill his duty as a samurai.
1. Chapter 1

Red String of Fate

This is my first Fan Fiction, its a Samurai Champloo fan fiction and I'm pretty excited! I will be adding a new character into this and her name will be Jada.

I do not own any part of Samurai Champloo. Everything about Samurai Champloo belongs to its owners.

Chapter One

I hurriedly grabbed a small bag and started filling it with little necessities. The little things I couldn't live without; because I was never coming back. I took some clothes out of my fathers chest and draped them around my slim frame. I turned to view myself in the mirror, and started chuckling a little. It was a little funny to look at myself, since the clothes didn't fit at all. They were almost falling off, but I tied a sash around my waist, with my shirt over my pants, to keep them both secure. Grasping my long, auburn hair, I twisted it into a bun on the top of my head and kept it in place with a red ribbon. I placed a sugegasa straw hat over to hide my hair and to cast a shadow over my eyes to make me unrecognizable. Heading to my room, I fish out the small amount of the money I had accumulated over the past three months and stashed it in my robes. Looking at the room I lived in for 18 years and reliving all the memories I had created here over those 18 years almost brought me to tears, but I pushed my feelings aside. Now is not the time to get sentimental. I ran to the other end of my little shack and took my fathers wakizashi blade. It was on a sword stand with his Katana. The katana looked so lonely without its wakizashi accompanying it like it always has, but I'm sure my Dad will understand. I tie the blade around my waist and checked to see if I had everything, and when I was sure I had it all, I left my home as quickly as possible.

I walked down the little dirt street. Businesses were bustling with life and there were so many happy people. There was this one shop, to my left, it was doing really well, selling a lot of fruit and herbal plants. I might stop there later if I have time...I love green tea, and they sell the best kind. Looking back at all the people filling the street, It felt as though I was the only soul who was distraught. I began walking, trying to find my way through the crowd of people, when I noticed people were beginning to circle around something. I push my way to the front. I accidentally bump into a tall man wearing a blue silk Samurai's kimono and a sugegasa on his head.

"Oh, I'm sorry." I bow my head and apologize. He doesn't say anything back. He just stands there and looks at me out of the corner of his eye. He looks a little angry... _Geez, what's his problem?_ I turn to face the object of attention that has managed to attract the crowd of people, and I am shocked as to what I see: The Magistrate and his bodyguards were screaming at a man who was on his knees.

"Please, Sir! if you sell my land, my family will starve to death!" He looked up to the Magistrate with fear in his eyes.

"What do I look like, a charity case? Gimme what you have in your pockets, and I'll _think _about changing my mind." The Magistrate, in a chariot drawn by bodyguards, pointed at the old man as the bodyguards lowered the chariot onto the ground.

The man shakily reached into his pocket to pull out some change and placed it in front of himself. A bodyguard runs over and picks up the money and brings it to the Magistrate.

"Is this enough sir?"

The Magistrate looks at the coins, and makes an ugly face.

"I don't want your spare change!" the Magistrate yells furiously, throwing the coins at the old man. "Yagyu's, Kill this man!" and he pointed at him again.

"Sir, please, wait!" As the Yagyu's were preparing, the Blue Samurai steps forward, but was stopped by another onlooker, who grabbed his shoulder.  
"If you do that you're asking for your own death, better let things be, I know its hard to watch."

The Samurai jerks his shoulder out of the reach of the onlooker, and begins to walk forward.

"Is this what you spent all those years honing your skills for? Cutting down a man who has done nothing wrong? ...You're pathetic." The blue samurai says coldly as he places his hand on his sheathed katana, preparing for a fight. The Yagyu's look at him and they look pretty angry.

"What did you say?!" One spat, and pulls his sword out.

"Say your prayers!"

The Yagyu's charge forward to attack the samurai, the old man hurries over to the crowd of people, to stay away from the feuding Swordsmen. _3 against one, he doesn't have a chance..._The Blue Samurai threw his sugegasa in the air, and pulls his katana out with lightning speed...and before anyone realized, one of the Yagyu's was already dead...the blood from the slain bodyguard splashed and right has it was about to hit the face of the Blue Samurai, the sugegasa hat he had thrown in the air a couple of seconds earlier falls and the blood splats onto it instead of his face.

"W-What is this!? What are you fools doing, Kill him!" The Magistrate yells. One of the Yagyu's comes from behind the Blue Samurai and swings his sword down to hit him in the back, but the Blue Samurai turns around and blocks it with his katana. _I'm so amazed at the skill, he doesn't have a single scratch and he's up against three, well now, 2 Yagyu's, and he hasn't even broken a sweat_...The Blue Samurai then turns and spins so that his back is against the Yagyu's back and slips his katana in between his side and arm and stabs him. _Incredible..._I stare, my mouth hanging open, I look around and everyone has the same expression on their faces. With his eyes closed, the Blue Samurai pulls his sword out of the Yagyu's back. He turns around and faces the last remaining opponent and opens his eyes. The Yagyu is terrified and hesitant.

"Fool! KILL HIM!" The Magistrate is furious now, I look up to see his face and it's beat red...

'Uh...Yes Sir!" The remaining Yagyu jumps forward and attempts to fake the Blue Samurai out by swinging his sword down, but changes the direction of his swing to a horizontal slash right at the last second, the Blue Samurai is preparing to block this attack with his sword, but the Yagyu changed directions..._Oh no...if he hadn't gone to block that attack...his defense wouldn't have been lowered..._ and I close my eyes quickly. I didn't want to see the Blue Samurai cut down...I hear a sword hit the ground, and I am reluctant to open my eyes.

"Gahhh! GOD DAMMIT!" Hearing these outbursts I open my eyes and see the Magistrate swinging his arms rapidly in rage. My eyes swing over to the right and see the Blue Samurai picking up his sugegasa and walking towards to old man.

"T-Thank you so much, Sir!" The old man says excitedly. The Blue Samurai says nothing, and bends over to pick up the change the old man had proposed to the Magistrate. He shoots the Magistrate a sharp look and turns away, and starts walking towards the middle of the crowd where he had emerged to fight the Yagyu's. He puts his sugegasa back on and walks past me, but stops behind me, our backs facing, and he turns his head slightly.

"Jin." He says, and continues walking.

"...Jin..." I whisper to myself. "W-wait!" I yell as I turn around and put my arm out to grab his before he left...but he was already gone. The crowd begins cheering and slowly disperses.

"Jin..."


	2. Chapter 2

Red String of Fate - Chapter Two

I stood in the same spot, as the crowd walked away and returned to their normal lives. I looked around and saw the old man sitting on the ground, leaning against a wall. I can tell he's a little shaken. I walk over to him and hold my hand out. He looks at me and I tilt my head to the side and smile at him. He grabs my hand and I haul him up.

"Thank you very much."

"It's not a problem!" As I begin to walk away, the old man grabs my shoulder.

"Excuse me, do you know that Blue Samurai?" He asks as I turn around to face him again.

"...No...I don't know him." I look at the old man. He has such deep brown eyes, I feel as though if I stare long enough into them, I could see his soul...

"Oh, ok. Thanks anyway." He says as he turns left and starts walking off, waving.

"W-wait! Why do you ask?" I inquire. He turns around, he's smirking.  
"Oh...No reason." He smiles at me an 'I know something you don't' smile and turns around again to leave. He rounds a corner and is out of sight.

_That was weird...oh well._ I turned around and the sun had begun to set and it cast a golden hue over the village. I was hoping I'd be gone by now, but it's too dangerous to travel alone at night. I know I need to find a place to stay for the night before I can set off on my journey. _I didn't think that fight was all that long...so what did I spend all my time doing? _I walk down the street and the huge amount of people that were here earlier dwindled to just a couple dozen. Finding a little Ryokan, I walk in and see a pretty, petite, young brunette girl running the front desk. I ask for the cheapest room. She turned around and grabbed a thick piece of paper with the word 'OCCUPIED' written in kanji on it.

"Sure thing! Here you are, Sir! I'll walk you to your room."

"Thank you." I followed her to my room and she opens the sliding door for me.

"Enjoy your stay!" she says cheerfully as she places the 'OCCUPIED' sign on my door and walks down the hall.

I walk in my room and look around. Not much in here. A Futon and a kotatsu. I set my bag and sugegasa on the kotatsu and dropped to my knees with my head buried in my hands. The tears were streaming through my fingers, leaving little pools on the tatami mats beneath me.

"Why? Why did it have to be me?! There's nothing special about me...it should have been someone else..." I wallowed in my own sadness. I sat there for what felt like hours. The raincloud above my head and in my eyes didn't ease. It just kept downpouring. Eventually I had had enough and I crawled to my futon and thought about what had happened in the past 6 months...then drifted into a miserable sleep.

The next morning, I awoke with a jolt. I had a nightmare. It was about how my life would never be my own... Then, realizing if I didn't get going, I'd miss my perfect opportunity to leave this town. I fixed my robings and hair. Making sure that my clothes were secured and hair hidden underneath my sugegasa. I left my room, making sure I still had my small pouch I had taken with me when I left home. Walking down the hall, I bowed my head as I passed an elderly couple. I walked up to the front desk I thanked the Inn owner and left. _'Its best to leave early in the morning when there isn't much going on,' _I said to myself.

Walking down the little dirt road where all the businesses are again, I hear a faint yelling. I try to listen carefully.

"We have to find...it's important we search...Find...!" I look around the corner and I see them...The Magistates bodyguards. There are only three. _Wait...these ones are different, they aren't Yagyu's..._ They are pointing and searching for someone, and I know exactly who.

I have to get by them, but I don't want to seem suspicious. I adjust my sugegasa and blow air out of my nose in an attempt to calm myself. I look around the corner one last time, trying to find an opening. The perfect time to walk by so I am unnoticed. It'd be perfect if a large crowd were walking the streets, but there were only a small number today. _Now or never..._And I begin walking, keeping my head low. When I get into earshot of the Bodyguards, I try to listen, as I continue walking.

"We have to find her! The Magistrates son will not be pleased if we don't...hey you, mister!"

I look up, making sure not to show to much of my face. He's pointing at me.

"Yeah, you! We've got a missing person, have you seen her?" He holds up a painting of a young beautiful woman with big, bright green eyes with long eyelashes, a little petite nose, and bright, full lips. Her hair is draping over her shoulder and she's wearing an elegant red kimono. "Her name is Jada, she's got a very distinct smell, she smells of cherry blossoms, you'd think it'd be easy to find someone who smells so good in a shit hole like this eh?" He laughs a little at his own words. I chuckle a little with him, to make myself seem a little more natural.

"I'm sorry, but I haven't seen her." I say and continue walking. As I get two or three feet away from the bodyguards, a slight breeze blows against my face and into their direction. with their heightened senses and skills, it's obvious they can smell me.

"Wait a minute," the leader says, "that smells like...cherry blossoms! What have you done with Jada?!" He grabs his sword from his sheath and points it in the direction of my back.

_Oh no! _I break into a sprint to run as fast as I could down the village street, kicking up dirt with every step I took. _Shit!_ I think to myself in a panic. I keep running with the bodyguards right behind me. In a rushed thought, I jump over a small wheelbarrow full of fruit and as I hear the woman pushing it scream, I turn around fast to tip it over in an attempt to slow the them down. I hear them crash but as I look back to see if I've slowed them down, they are standing right back up in a hurry to capture me.

"Hey you! Stop it right there! Halt in the name of the Magistrate! You are under arrest for kidnapping Jada!" The leader yells. He is running so fast towards me, I feel like my legs are about to give out from underneath me..._How can he run so fast?_

People are staring in shock and I see many women with their hands over their mouths and men shaking their heads. I round a corner and almost run into a man.

"Hey! Watch it!" He screams.

"Sorry!" I manage to yell back, not breaking my stride. The bodyguards are still around the corner and not visible at the moment. I think quickly and see this very ordinary tea shop. I burst into it and lean against the wall near the entrance.

"Hello, Sir! Ill be with you in a moment!" A young waitress yells across the shop while carrying a tray full of tea.

Gasping, trying to catch my breath, I put my hands on my knees, not getting enough air. I reach for the pouch that was tied around my waist and fish around for my medicine. _Where is it, where is it?! _ I panic in my head. _I can't find my asthma medicine! I must have dropped it!_

"Hey waitress! Where the hell's my tea! Hurry it up will ya'?!" I hear a man scream. I look over at him underneath my sugegasa and almost stumble over a table as I gasp. _Its him...the magistrates son! Tomonoshin Shibui! _He looks over at me and scoffs.

"You got a problem buddy?!" He yells.

"N-No I don't." I say as I sit down, unsure if I was able to mask my shock and still not able to breath well. I look up at him again and see two women hanging off of him. They're kissing his cheeks and laughing at every one of his awful jokes. _He's engaged and he's got two women hanging around his neck like that...what a piece of shit excuse of a human he is! _As enraged as I was, I manage to keep calm, or try to since I still can't breath well, as much as I loathed that man, there was nothing I could do about it.

"Hey bitch! Where's my tea?!" He yells as he stabs the table with a tanto blade.

"I'm coming!" The young waitress yells. She walks over to him and gives him his tea in a rude fashion. I lean back again, grabbing my chest. My breathing is getting worse and I don't know how much longer I can go without my medicine.

By this time, a man wearing a red jacket with brown shorts lifts the small piece of cloth hanging in the door as he walks in. He is a samurai. He has messy, shaggy brown hair, dark skin, double blue ring tattoos on his wrists and ankles. He doesn't look like any samurai I've ever seen before.

"I'll be right with you, Sir!" The waitress says.

"Does this belong to anybody?" He lifts up a small Baggie of medicine. "'Cause if not, it's mine! Score! I got free drugs!" He says, a smile on his face. Everyone in the tea shop just stares at him.

"That's...mine..." I manage to murmur as I raise my hand, still choking on my breath. I'm leaning on the table now.

"I feel like you're lyin' to me asswipe, you want the free drugs too don'tcha?! Well you're gonna hav'ta fight me for 'em!" He pulls out his sword and gestures for me to get up.

"Please...that's my...asthma medicine, I can't... Breath!" My torso stumbles off the table and I fall on the ground, grasping at my throat.

"Hahahahahahaha! Look at that poor excuse of a man! He's on the floor like a piece of shit! Hahahaha!" Tomonoshin laughs, grabbing his sides and pointing.

"Please sir! Give him his medicine, he's dying!" The waitress screams as she runs out of the kitches and reaches out to grab the samurai's arm, but trips over her shoes and lands on the magistrates sons table, spilling tea all over him and the girls.

"I-I'm so sorry sir!" She tries to clean up the spilled tea with a washcloth.

"Why you little bitch!" He yells as he stands up, taking his sword out of its sheath. One of his buddies stands up and grabs the waitress and throws her down onto the table, holding her in place.

"Ahh!" She screams as she tries to writhe away. "L-let me go!"

"No use trying to escape! Now how should you pay me back?" Tomonoshin laughs. He squints an eye and puts his free hand up to his chin. "One finger, or two? I suppose one should be enough." He laughs harder and starts to line his sword up with her finger.

"H- Help m-me! Please!" She screams. "Anybody! Please!" She's still trying to wiggle her way out of the mans arms.

"50 dumplings and I'll help." The man with my medicine says as he throws it at me. I catch it and start fumbling with the bag. I finally get some medicine out and quickly take two tablets and pop them into my mouth, swallowing without water.

"I can't do that!" She screams as Tomonoshin takes his sweet time to scare her more. She looks up at the samurai. Her eyes filled with tears.

"I won't go a dumpling lower!" He yells back. Tomonoshin begins to place the blade on her finger slowly.

"Ya ready?" Tomonoshin laughs as the blade starts to draw blood, and the waitess is terrified.

"O-o-one hundred dumplings!" The waitress yells loudly, her eyes shut tightly, in fear of watching her finger get taken off.

"Now we're talkin'!" The samurai says as he jumps onto a table with his sword pointing at Tomonoshin.

"Are you an idiot?!" Tomonoshin says with shock in his voice, his sword lifts into the air. "Do you even know who I am?!"

"No, and I don't really care either." The samurai says with a grin.

"I'm the magistrates son! If you harm me, I'll get my fathers bodyguards to kill you! They are the most skilled swordsman in this godforsaken town!"

"Hmm...who are these swordsman?" The samurai says as he rubs the stubble on his chin, an excited grin on his face.

"The Yagyu's!" Tomonoshin screams.

I finally have my breath back by this time and I try to crawl towards the door to escape, but when I look out the door, the bodyguards are there in the middle of the street. _Damn it! I can't leave! _ I crawl into a corner in an attempt to hide.

"Humph, so?" The samurai in red says.

"How...how DARE you?!" Tomonoshin yells, spit flying everywhere. "You're going to die you son of a bitch!"

"Bring it."

Tomonoshin jumps onto a table, and points his sword at the imposing threat. The waitress runs towards the corner farthest from the fight, which happens to be the same corner I am residing in. We both hunch down and hide. And by this time, everyone who was in the tea shop evacuated in fear. But I don't dare take my eyes off of Tomonoshin and the mysterious red samurai.

The samurai looks around and sees all of the other men that are friends with the magistrates son.

"Don't pull this polite shit, I'll take ALL you bitches on!"

"If I don't kill you, the Yagyu's will!" Tomonoshin screams as be gets ready to slash him.

"Hmph."

I hear a voice to my left. I look and there is the samurai in the blue silk samurai's garbs. _He was the one who fought the..._

"What Yagyu's."


End file.
